Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising LIVE TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 3/8 - Page 25 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Too bad you didn't get to customize the bands as we really enjoyed having different colors... but as someone mentioned- your names are on the inside so you could take a quick look at them before putting them on in the mornings
It's one thing to learn for next time. I wish the Disney site would make it a bit more obvious on the site, as I don't recall seeing anything about that this time around, but I know I did on our last trip....
So excited for you as you will be in Orlando in two days.
Now I can say it - we'll be back there tomorrow!
Quote:
I hope the weather will be warmer for you but as a massive cold front is diving down on us here in Atlanta tonight I just hope it does not get any colder for you in Disney.
It's supposed to be low 50s when we get there tomorrow, which is fine, as that's about the daytime high we've been having here over the last couple of days and that's been quite pleasant. Then it improves a lot from Saturday, back into the 70s again. In a way, it's nice, as we won't get hit by the heat when we arrive, which is what usually happens....
I'm pretty much all packed over here in New Hampshire. Shoveled off my roof for 2 hours today, got my nails done and did a little shopping. Tomorrow I am back to work but only for one day and then trying to sleep before the alarm goes off on Friday morning at 4:00am.! I'll take 40 degrees at night any day of the week! See you there (hopefully) safe travels
We are not near as bad as some of the states but we have had at least 12 inches or more over the past month or so, Some will melt and then the new stuff comes. Our issue is the winds as it blows what we have all over and drifts on the roads. it didn't snow today but was super windy and I am half expecting school canceled tomorrow because the roads are pretty bad now. Temps have been 15 degrees to negative 10. plus windchills. I am so done with winter.
Ugh - that is still bad enough! I am so grateful that we've only had one thin covering of snow (less than half an inch) and that's been it. The temperatures have been nice and mild - around 50 degrees, as there is no way I could cope with temperatures that cold. We're just not used to it - about the coldest it gets in winter here and that's the middle of the night is the mid 20s.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Pre-trip report – part nineteen: firsts, looking forward to and plans!
I wanted to finish off this pre-trip report with some of the things we’re looking forward to… first off, sensibly enough, the things which will be firsts for us on this trip. I love the way that, even after this many trips to Disney, we’ve still got a list of those:
1) Staying in the Treehouse Villas – finally, as we were going to on our fall 2013 trip, then the Grand Floridian Villas opened up, and I figured we should stay there instead. Much as I enjoyed that, I really am looking forward to finally staying there, albeit only for one night
2) Seeing a Disney race – I’m so looking forward to cheering the runners on, as I know from comments here, it’s very much appreciated
3) Finally getting to ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Train – having heard so much about it, I can’t wait to try it for myself
4) Seeing the new parade at the Magic Kingdom – again, having heard so much about it, I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like
5) Setting sail on a four night cruise – I know, six cruises in and we’ve never taken a four night before. We’ve done two three night ones, so it’ll be interesting to see what we make of the four night version
6) Seeing the Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Centre – having seen one at the California Science Centre, and having been blown away by the sight of that, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Kennedy have done with theirs
7) Dinner at Shula’s Steak House – being a non-meat eater, this has never been high up my list, but I know Mark will really enjoy it, and I know it’s meant to be good, so hopefully we’ll both enjoy it
8) Visiting LEGOLAND Florida – although it’s not really aimed at us, we enjoyed seeing all the LEGO models at LEGOLAND Windsor, which was very creative, and I’m hoping we’ll find other things to enjoy at this park too
9) Breakfast at Olivia’s Café – the menu here looks so good, so I just hope it lives up to that selection!
10) Dinner at Trattoria al Forno - I always love getting to sample brand new restaurants at Walt Disney World, and to date, there have been some very positive reviews of this place. Disney already has some excellent Italian restaurants, so I want to see if the latest lives up to those standards
11) Enjoying snacks at the Flower and Garden food booths – I’m used to enjoying snacks at the Food and Wine Festival booths, but the last time we were in Disney for Flower and Garden (four years ago ), they didn’t have this available, and I always love sampling new food, so this will be a real treat.
12) Breakfast at Ravello – this should be a lot of fun, as it involves Goofy, and it also gives us the chance to have a wander around Four Seasons, a new resort to us, so that should be fascinating.
Next, the things I’m really looking forward to this trip. It goes without saying that of course I’m looking forward to all the first time things listed above, but there are many other things that I can’t wait to see, do or enjoy as well.
1) Seeing my donkey again – sadly it looks as if that will only be at our lunch at the Crystal Palace, as from what I can tell, he’s too special now and obviously far too popular to be let out in the parks any longer, as he doesn’t seem to be doing meet and greets now. I guess they’re scared he’ll get mobbed.
2) Seeing how well Fastpass+ works for us, as it’s the first time we’ve really been able to take advantage of it.
3) Seeing whether the California Grill is just as good second time around after its refit. I know there have been complaints about how noisy it now is there, so it’ll be interesting to see what we make of when just the two of us dine there, as opposed to the massive group we had last time – as we probably added to the noise!
4) Relaxing on the cruise, and just enjoying the Dream. We have no intention of getting off at Nassau, and may not even bother at Castaway Cay. I do however plan on spending as much of our four nights in the spa as I possibly can.
5) Enjoying brunch at Palo – still one of my favourite experiences on board the Disney ships.
6) Seeing whether Be Our Guest lives up to our experience there first time around – I really hope so, as it was such an amazing meal then.
7) Enjoying La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil again. We haven’t seen it since December 2012, as it didn’t fit into our last trip, and to be honest, I’ve missed seeing it. It is usually a must-do for us, and I know we’ll enjoy our evening there.
8) Sampling dinner at Portobello – we had a superb lunch there a few years ago, but haven’t managed to make it back there. Hopefully it will be just as good this time.
9) Staying at three of our favourite resorts – Bay Lake Tower, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and our beloved Beach Club Villas.
10) Enjoying the various offerings at Boma, one of our favourite table service restaurants on Disney property.
11) Returning to Il Mulino for dinner, many years after our first visit there, which was a wonderful experience. As we’re with friends, I hope it’ll be just as good as that first time.
12) Doing lunch at the Brown Derby – this is something I enjoy much more than Mark. He’s just not a fan of this place, but I love it here, and we were meant to eat here a couple of trips ago, and it just didn’t work out. Hopefully it will this time.
13) Sampling the delicacies of the Flying Fish Café with friends, including Bob and Larry, whose rave reviews about this place, made us go back and try it again, after a first lukewarm experience, so eating there with them makes it all the more special.
14) Getting back to two of our favourite non-Disney theme parks, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa. I can’t believe we haven’t been to Busch Gardens since 2007. We are definitely long overdue a visit there!
15) Enjoying lunch, and most importantly, an ice cream sundae at Beaches and Cream, and hopefully we’ll be served by our favourite server Delores.
16) Seeing IllumiNations as many times as we can – as my favourite thing at Disney World, I now try to build that into our plans as much as possible.
17) Enjoying some good Japanese food at another of our favourite restaurants, Teppan Edo.
18) Spending lots of quality time with good friends, both old and new.
So, to finish off this (rather lengthy! ) pre-trip report, here’s a re-cap of exactly what we’ve got planned for this vacation:
Thursday 19 February
Drive up to Gatwick and valet park the car
Stay the night at the BLOC Hotel
Friday 20 February
Fly out from Gatwick to Orlando
Check into the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs for one night
Dinner at the Turf Club
Saturday 21 February
Check into Bay Lake Tower in a one bedroom theme park view villa for two nights
Day at the Magic Kingdom
Fastpass selections:
Seven Dwarves Mine Train – 10:20am – 11:20am
Pirates of the Caribbean – 11:20am – 12:20pm
Parade – 2:45pm – 3:05pm
Lunch at Crystal Palace with Michael and Judy
Meet up with Amy and her husband at Top of the World Lounge
Dinner at the California Grill
Sunday 22 February
Watch the marathon outside the Contemporary
Day at Universal
Lunch at Lombard’s Seafood Grille
Dinner at Citrico’s with Bruce and Marta
Monday 23 February
Breakfast at ‘Ohana
Fastpass selections:
Seven Dwarves Mine Train – 9:25am – 10:25am
Haunted Mansion – 10:25am – 11:25am
Meet Mickey at Town Square Theatre – 11:30am – 12:30pm
Set sail on the Disney Dream!
Tuesday 24 February
Visit Nassau – our plan is to stay on the ship
Dinner at Palo
Wednesday 25 February
Visit Castaway Cay
Thursday 26 February
Spend the day at sea
Brunch at Palo
Friday 27 February
Arrive back at Port Canaveral
Visit Kennedy Space Center
Head back to Walt Disney World and spend four nights at a one bedroom villa with a savannah view at Jambo House, Animal Kingdom Lodge
Dinner at Shula’s Steak House
Saturday 28 February
Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s
Visit LEGOLAND
See La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil – early show
Dinner at Portobello with Bob and Larry
Sunday 1 March
Head to Animal Kingdom for Extra Magic Hour
Fastpass selections:
Kilimanjaro Safaris – 9:30am – 10:30am
Festival of the Lion King – 1:30pm – 1:50pm
Finding Nemo – the Musical or Disney characters – 2:30pm – 2:50pm
Lunch at Tusker House
Dinner at Be Our Guest with Bob and Larry
Monday 2 March
Visit SeaWorld
Dinner at Boma with Bruce and Marta
Tuesday 3 March
Move to the Beach Club Villas and spend our final four nights in a one bedroom villa
Breakfast at Olivia’s Café, Old Key West with Maci
Visit Busch Gardens Tampa
Dinner at Trattoria al Forno, BoardWalk with Bob and Larry
Wednesday 4 March
Visit the Hollywood Studios
Fastpass selections:
Toy Story Mania – 9:00am – 10:00am
Indiana Jones – 10:45am – 11:05am
MuppetVision 3D – 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Lunch at Hollywood Brown Derby with Angie
Dinner at Il Mulino at the Swan with Heather, Sharon, Bob and Larry
See IllumiNations
Thursday 5 March
Visit Epcot
Fastpass selections:
Soarin’ – 9:15am – 10:15am
Turtle Talk with Crush – 10:30am – 11:30am
Spaceship Earth – 11:40am – 12:40pm
Lunch at snacks at the Flower and Garden booths with Heather and Angie
Dinner at the Flying Fish Café with Heather, Bob and Larry
See IllumiNations
Friday 6 March
Visit Epcot
Lunch at Beaches and Cream with Bob and Larry
Fastpass selections:
Meet Mickey and friends at the Epcot Character Spot – 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Test Track – 2:30pm – 3:30pm
The Seas with Nemo and Friends – 3:55pm – 4:55pm
Dinner at the Garden Grill with Maci and Ellie
See IllumiNations
Saturday 7 March
Breakfast at Ravello, the Four Seasons for the “Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and his pals” and Sharon
Visit Epcot
Fastpass selections:
Turtle Talk with Crush – 10:00am – 11:00am
Spaceship Earth – 11:00am – 12:00pm
Test Track – 12:05pm – 1:05pm
Late lunch at Teppan Edo with Maci and Ellie
Fly home
We’ll see you on the other side with the full trip report when we get back. There will be live updates as we go through, as time (and enjoyment ) allows…
Have a great time!! When you get to see OUR Donkey, give a big kiss from me! Tell Mark to be kind to the pig.......I know, it will be hard!!!
Have a safe journey and post lots of pictures!!!
I was so excited for you yesterday, I got a day ahead of myself. Now I can say -- woo hoo!!! You're within 24 hrs of starting your trip!!!!
Your plans (as always) look fantastic, can't wait to hear all about it!!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
In a way, it's nice, as we won't get hit by the heat when we arrive, which is what usually happens....
I am so grateful that we've only had one thin covering of snow (less than half an inch) and that's been it. The temperatures have been nice and mild - around 50 degrees, as there is no way I could cope with temperatures that cold. 
We're just not used to it - about the coldest it gets in winter here and that's the middle of the night is the mid 20s.
selection! 
), they didn’t have this available, and I always love sampling new food, so this will be a real treat.
We are definitely long overdue a visit there! 
.......I know, it will be hard!!!
Katie's graduation
Linear Mode
